The Civil Service Commission upheld the firing of a South Jersey corrections officer, who was present at a mock murder of George Floyd in 2020, the Courier Post reported today.
Joseph DeMarco, an 18-year veteran of the Bayside State Prison, was present – though he did not participate – when his brother and nephew reenacted the George Floyd murder on June 8, 2020 in Franklinville, as a counter-protest to Black Lives Matter protesters. The mock murder drew national headlines and inspired public outrage, which only intensified once DeMarco’s presence at the scene came out.
The Department of Corrections (DOC) disciplined DeMarco 12 days after the incident. His termination proceedings were then handled by Administrative Law Judge Susan Olgiati.
Although DeMarco has insisted that he reacted with “shock” and “embarrassment” to the mock murder, Olgiati ruled in favor of terminating him earlier this summer. She emphasized that his failure to intervene, to de-escalate the situation, or to remove himself from the scene betrayed his responsibilities as a member of law enforcement.
Olgiati wrote in her ruling that DeMarco’s “continued presence at the scene and his continued act of recording the march was inappropriate and brought discredit to himself and to the DOC.”
DeMarco appealed that ruling to the Civil Service Commission, which upheld his termination during their July 19 meeting, and posted the decision yesterday.
